Dogs that suffer from the canine version of obsessive compulsive
disorder have brain abnormalities remarkably similar to those found in
humans with OCD, according to new research.

Canine compulsive disorder, or CCD, can cause a dog to compulsively
chew or suck on things, or chase its own tail. Unfortunately, some
owners may not realize their dog has a complex, and may punish the
behavior, thus reinforcing the anxiety underlying the pet's CCD.

"Canines that misbehave are often labeled as 'bad
dogs' but it is important to detect and show the biological basis
for certain behaviors," Tufts University veterinarian Niwako Ogata
said in a statement. "Evidence-based science is a much better
approach to understanding a dog's behavior."

To better understand the roots of CCD, Ogata and colleagues from
Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, along
with scientists from the McLean Imaging Center in Belmont, Mass.,
scanned the brains of 16 Doberman pinschers 6 eight with CCD, eight
without. Their results were
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278584613000687)
recently published in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology
and Biological Psychiatry.

"While the study sample was small and further research is
needed, the results further validate that dogs with CCD can provide
insight and understanding into anxiety disorders that affect
people," Tufts veterinarian Nicholas Dodman said in a statement.
"Dogs exhibit the same behavioral characteristics, respond to the
same medication, have a genetic basis to the disorder, and we now know
have the same structural brain abnormalities as people with OCD."

Some veterinarians think there's an environmental component
that contributes to a dog's CCD. Under stress, a dog may start
adopting abnormal behaviors to cope 6 like licking its paws (akin to a
person biting his or her nails).

"That's where the compulsive behavior starts,"
Purdue University veterinarian and animal behaviorist Andrew Luescher
(http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97851&page=1#.Ua31fXr2R6Z) told ABC News. "They are comfortable using that behavior, which
is totally normal, but if repeated frequently it becomes easier and
easier to trigger it. And then they start to show that behavior whenever
their anxiety level or arousal level is high enough, regardless of the
situation."

Modifying a dog's environment to reduce his or her stress is
key. If the owner can figure what is stressing out his or her dog 6 say,
a noisy doorbell -- he or she can take some action. Regular walks also
go a long way to helping a dog relax. A dog that's cooped up all
day in a house or backyard is like a little kid with cabin fever,
according to Luescher.

Dogs with compulsive disorders may also benefit from the drug
fluoxetine, more commonly known as Prozac, used to treat a range of
human ills including depression, OCD, and bulimia.
(http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.235.6.705?journalCode=javma) A 2009 trial of 63 dogs with compulsive disorders found that
Prozac helped lessen the severity of the treated dogs' CCD, with
only some mild side effects like poor appetite and mild lethargy.